California Hockey Colleges

When you're thinking about California college sports, teams like UCLA basketball, USC football and Stanford baseball are the most likely to come to mind. However, those interested in playing Ice hockey for a California college will find a handful of schools that have club ice hockey teams. In fact, four of the well-known schools compete in the Pac-8 Hockey Conference of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. While these teams have an intercollegiate schedule, they are not part of the schools’ athletic departments and do not offer scholarships.

  1. University of California, Berkeley

    • The UC Berkeley Bears play at the Oakland Ice Center, which is located 15 minutes from the school. A highlight of the team’s schedule is its two games against rival Stanford in a series nicknamed “The Big Freeze.” The bulk of the rest of the Bears’ schedule comes against fellow Pac-8 teams, which include Arizona State, Oregon, Washington and Washington State.

      UC Berkeley Ice Hockey
      Oakland Ice Center
      519 18th Street
      Oakland, CA 94612-1511
      (510) 268-9000
      calicehockey.com

    Stanford University

    • The Stanford ice hockey team welcomes all skill levels to attend practice and join the team. The team is partially funded by the Stanford club sports program, but is responsible for raising money to cover the cost of expenses. In order to raise money, players pay dues and participate in fund-raising campaigns. Stanford plays at the Nazareth Ice Oasis about 15 minute from campus.

      Stanford Ice Hockey
      Ice Oasis
      3140 Bay Road
      Redwood City, CA 94063
      (650) 364-8090
      stanford.edu/group/hockey/index.htm

    UCLA

    • Ice hockey has been played since 1926 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Their first game against city rival USC occurred in 1928. Today, the team has an annual five-game series against USC called the “Cross Town Cup;” the winner gains LA bragging rights for a year. The UCLA ice hockey team plays about 25 minutes away at the Valley Ice Center.

      UCLA Ice Hockey
      UCLA Cultural & Recreational Affairs
      2131 John Wooden Center, UCLA
      Los Angeles, CA 90095-1612
      (310) 825-3701
      uclahockey.org

    USC

    • The University of Southern California (USC) ice hockey website jokes, “Where the only good Bruins are in Boston.” Indeed, USC’s rivalry on the ice with the UCLA Bruins is as fierce as in any sport. The USC Trojans were the Pac-8’s most successful team in the first decade of the 21st century with six conference titles in that span. USC plays most of their games at the Anaheim Ice Arena about 40 minutes away.

      USC Ice Hockey
      Lyon University Center
      Los Angeles, CA 90089-2500
      (310) 849-9066
      uscicehockey.com/index.asp